"To be able to beat Novak Djokovic in the final is probably the best feeling of this whole week" - Holger Rune on his unbelievable Paris Masters title run

Holger Rune capped off a phenomenal week in Paris-Bercy by beating Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in Sunday's final and lifting his maiden Masters 1000 title.

En route to his historic title, Rune also accounted for three-time Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, World No. 9 Andrey Rublev, World No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz (who retired midway through their match), and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was on a 16-match winning streak.

Despite such a rich collection of scalps, Rune revealed during his post-match presser that the most memorable element of his stellar week was his triumph over Novak Djokovic in the summit clash.

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"To beat Novak today, I would say (smiling)," Holger Rune said. "To be able to beat him in such occasion, as I said, in the final is probably the most, you know, the best feeling of this whole week."

Acknowledging that it was important to beat the likes of Auger-Aliassime and Alcaraz, Rune heaped praise on Djokovic, calling the Serb "one of the greatest" tennis players of all-time.

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"Of course I take it step by step. It was also very important for me to beat Felix and Alcaraz and these guys," Rune added. "But still, to be able to beat Novak on such an occasion, and he's probably one of the greatest we have ever had in this sport, it's a crazy feeling to be able to beat him in this final. I would say the final."

"Novak Djokovic was really tough to play; it's probably one of the toughest matches I've ever played in my life" - Holger Rune

Novak Djokovic [left] and Holger Rune with their respective Paris Masters trophies

One could argue that Novak Djokovic statistically outdid Holger Rune on Sunday by winning more points (overall 97 to Rune's 92), more receiving points (41 to Rune's 24), and creating more break point opportunities (12 to Rune's 3).

However, Rune tilted the tide in his favor by outdoing the Serb in the big points. The Dane saved 10 of the 12 break points he faced, including all six that he faced in the last game of the match. During Rune's post-match press conference, he was asked if he believed in his ability to beat Djokovic right from the get-go.

The teenager answered in the affirmative, stressing how he backs himself ahead of every match. Rune, however, highlighted that he was aware of the difficulties that Djokovic would pose for him.

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"Yeah, I would say always before matches I believe I can win, no matter who I'm going to play," Rune said. "Obviously I know it was going to take some extra today because it's in the final. He played, if I'm not wrong, over a hundred ATP Finals in his career. He's much more experienced than I am."

The Dane explained that he summoned every ounce of his mental strength to combat the Serb, mentioning how it was "one of the toughest" matches of his career.

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"I just tried to use my young power, willpower, to do everything I can to put him under pressure," he added. "I played great in the important moments today, and that was what made the difference. He was really tough to play. It's probably one of the toughest matches I've ever played in my life."

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